“Ongoing Windows 10 problems have driven me to buy a Chromebook.”
― Steven Magee
I love tablets. But it’s like finding a needle in a haystack to find a good tablet, especially in the Android universe. Unlike Apple’s effort to optimize iOS apps to the larger screens on iPads, Android apps, in general, still have great room for improvement.
My first Android tablet was Nexus 7 (2012/2013). As far as I remember, the Nexus 7 was the only Google’s in-house tablet that offered value for its asking price, which is less than $300. The 7-inch screen was significantly small for a tablet and was dedicated strictly to content consumption. But as the phablet market grew in accordance with a demand for the larger screen on phones, the demand for smaller tablets dried up… For me personally, I sold both 2012/2013 models of Nexus 7 to a second-hand store.
Since then, I have owned several other Android tablets manufactured by Asus and Huawei. Especially, the one made by Huawei offered a fantastic build quality. Not only did it cater to my content-consumption needs, but it encouraged me to go paperless entirely. It was an ideal device for my self-mathematic learning and photo editing with VSCO. At the moment, I was using a Huawei’s flagship phone, so I enjoyed immersing myself in Huawei’s tech ecosystem, such as Huawei Share. However, the Trump administration’s emerging anti-Huawei strategy and China’s questionable actions toward the ethnic minorities in the country gave me some second-thought about my ownership of Huawei products. Again, I sold off my Huawei phones and tablets to the second-hand store…
Having escaped from the Huawei ecosystem, I realized I could no longer find a good tablet in the Android universe. My only option, therefore, was Microsoft Surface, which has covered almost all areas of my needs. Self-mathematical learning, Java programming learning, online calls by Zoom/Skype, and Office documents compatibility. Additionally, it can sync with my Android phone through the Your Phone app that allows me to access my phone’s image files, messages, and even my call history. But still, I have barely used Surface Pro 7 as a tablet because it works best with a keyboard and a mouse.
So, I needed a tablet that could fill in the gap between my 2-in-1 laptop and my phone. I wanted a device that allows me to consume content on the larger screen and synced well with the Google ecosystem.
My answer to the solution was purchasing Chromebook Duet. The Chromebook Duet was first released the last year and was one of the most popular Chromebooks of the year. For those who don’t know what Chromebook is, the Chromebook is running Chrome OS, developed by Google. What differentiates Chromebook from other types of devices is its ability to run not only Chrome apps but also Android/Linux apps. Despite the fact that some Android apps on Chromebooks are still a bit buggy, apps I use on daily basis, including YouTube, Feedly, and Netflix, works pretty well. Plus, the device comes with its dedicated keyboard and a stand-cover, so not only does it work fine as a tablet, it works great as a mini laptop.
Additionally, what makes the device even great is its transformation into a desktop mode once you attach a keyboard to it. It switches between tablet/desktop modes just by detaching or attaching the keyboard. I wouldn’t say it’s a productivity-powerhouse due to the Chromebook’s capability limitations, yet the Chromebook Duet is a fantastic device that caters to my needs.
Chromebook might be the future of Android tablets…
